How to Run Productive Brainstorming Sessions

I love a good brainstorming session, especially when working on social media content. But, if it's going to be productive, you've got to set ground rules. Here are my favorites: First off, I set these ground rules like I'm explaining the rules of freeze tag or some game. It's more about boundaries and respect, and less about control. Second, I like to open with a fun ice breaker that gets people thinking. When doing a brainstorm around ambassador programs, we did trivia to guess celebrity endorsements. Activate their curiosity. Ok, now to the rules: 1. One idea at a time. Instead of every one yelling out all the ideas at once, we start with one and move on from there. If folks have multiple ideas, get them to write them down so they don't forget. 2. Encourage wild ideas. Some of my best brainstorms have started with ideas that were not grounded in reality, that could never happen, that were totally out of budget... but they led to realistic ideas that could work and were more innovative. 3. Build on the ideas of others. Don't hold your own ideas precious, but take what others have given and let your imagination run with it. Brainstorming is a team effort, no one is getting individual credit. Work off what you've got. 4. Defer judgment. Especially if you're the 'boss,' it's tempting to shoot things down that won't work or haven't worked in the past. You probably think you're speeding up the process. Instead, let the brainstorm happen organically and flow. 5. Stay on topic. Side conversations often happen in brainstorms. An idea pops up, it relates to another conversation, and all of a sudden you're on a side quest. If you stray, take note of it so you can address it outside the brainstorm. What helps you and your team brainstorm?

Want more productive workshops? Try stopping them sooner. Workshops often lock people in a room for two or three hours and expect them to do their best thinking on demand. Do we really have to hold people hostage to be productive? Lately, I’ve been using a technique I call "Echo Sessions." Instead of forcing deep work to happen in real time, we kickstart an activity, get clarity, but then stop just as people are getting into it. That pause is intentional. It’s based on the same principle as the Pomodoro technique—when you leave something unfinished while still feeling engaged, you'll find it easy to return to it later and give it space to percolate. Instead of dragging out a long workshop, I schedule an Echo Session later—often in the same day—where everyone brings their independent or small group work back for discussion, iteration, and action. Why does this work? ✅ Encourages Deep Work – People get time to think, research, or create in their own way, rather than being forced into artificial collaboration. ✅ Optimizes Meeting Time – Workshops should be for shared understanding, decision-making, and iteration—not for quiet focus time. ✅ Respects Different Work Styles – Some need time to walk and think. Others need to sketch. Some want to research or tap into AI. Echo Sessions give people time and space to work in the way that’s best for them. ✅ Creates Natural Momentum – Stopping at a high-energy moment makes people want to continue later, giving them space to create, rather than leaving them drained from a marathon session. ✅ Reduces Calendar Lockdowns – Instead of monopolizing hours at a time, work is distributed more effectively and meetings are only used when necessary. Most importantly, this approach treats participants like adults. It gives them flexibility and agency while ensuring that meetings serve a clear, valuable purpose. We don’t need long workshops. We need better workshops. Curious—how do you approach workshop fatigue? Would this work in your team?

Need a better way to brainstorm? Shut Up and Write. This is a technique I developed a decade ago, based on my experience over roughly 100 executive workshops with Hyper Island. Though I'm hardly the only one to have figured it out. Jake Knapp calls it "working alone, together" in his book, Sprint. (h/t to Jonathan Courtney, who I first heard this phrasing from.) A while back, I shared the approach with Edward Boches — who later included it when he co-authored the 5th Edition (2016 version, I think) of the classic how-to-do-great-advertising-ideas book, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. (I increasingly wonder if today's younger readers have any idea what that title is referencing... but I digress...) The page below is from that book. His write-up leans into "ad ideas," of course, but it works brilliantly for ANY kind of ideation and brainstorming — and I've found that it inspires 10x more ideas, better ideas, and more diverse thinking than "just letting people throw ideas out there." THE WAY I USUALLY RUN IT: - Tell folks what they're working on - Set a timer for five minutes and have them write down as many ideas as possible on their own, in a notebook. (This is the Shut Up & Write part) - One at a time, have people share what they wrote down — and I encourage other participants to "yes and" along the way. An "okay" idea often becomes a "kick ass" idea when it sparks something in someone else. - Document these ideas on stickies as they're shared - Keep going until everyone has been heard. (This phase is all about idea generation. Curating down to the best ideas and action planning them is another thing.) If you try it (or have tried it), please share your experience! --- I write and share about Working Fast, Working Fun, and Working Creatively. I'm geeky about the future of collaboration. Please comment, like, follow, and share — because apparently more people do so when I ask. 😊 #Brainstorming #Collaboration #FacilitatorPro